What’s emerged as a go-to hot weather-buster this summer at Cucina is, surprisingly, bruschetta — in this case, a variety blanketed with lemony avocado, basil, prosciutto and even fresh pomegranate seeds, among other things.

Cucina’s creatively dressed bruschetta is one of several restaurant items in town that, in their own singular ways, are giving summer’s heat the cold shoulder.

At Ta-boo, 221 Worth Ave., a dish known as the crab stack — featuring a smooth crab blend layered with mango salsa, guacamole and more — dispels hot-weather preoccupation thanks to its fulsome flavors and composition.

The crab stack "is always popular because so many people love crab," says manager Richard Whitaker, "but then you have the coolness of the mango salsa on the bottom and then a pleasantly spicy sambal aioli and guacamole. There’s just a lot about this dish that make it really appealing in summer."

The crab stack at Taboo has a smooth crab blend layered with mango salsa, guacamole. Courtesy of Taboo

Ditto when it comes to the spicy tuna nachos at Temple Orange Mediterranean Bistro at Eau Palm Beach Resort in Manalapan. But for all the kick and freshness of that dish, there’s another in-demand hot-weather foil at the resort’s Temple Orange: a cool melon-based small plate.

And for Eau’s executive chef David Viviano, the compressed melon starter — featuring prosciutto, marinated feta cheese, tarragon simple syrup and a lemony vinaigrette — also reminds him of growing up in Dearborn, Mich.

That’s where "feasting on melon" served as an antidote, of sorts, to humid summer afternoons. At the same time, Eau’s compressed-melon dish "is particularly refreshing during Florida heat and it highlights the classic Mediterranean flavors of sweet melon with salty prosciutto and briny feta."

Meanwhile, at Chez L’Epicier, 288 S. County Road, diners are facing the steamy clime these days with a one-two culinary punch: chilled watermelon-and-tomato soup followed by a light main course of dill- and almond-crusted snapper.

"The secret to the snapper is the acidity in each component of the dish — the green apple in the salad, the lemon-dill-almond (fish) crust and the vinegar in the beurre blanc — that makes this dish so refreshing."

Guests at Chez L’Epicier who start dinner with the restaurant’s cold watermelon-tomato gazpacho sprinkled with goat cheese and olive oil are surprised to find an added cooling bonus: To enhance deliciousness, says Deneault, "the bowl and spoon are chilled, too."